We all like to think that the medical professionals who take care of us are doing the very best they can. In the vast majority of cases, that is precisely what happens, but occasionally, accidents occur. When that happens, it’s important that you find the right legal professional to help you if you want to make a claim for medical malpractice.
How do you know if you have been a victim of medical malpractice? What do you need to do to find the right personal injury attorney and proceed with a claim?
What is Medical Malpractice?
The definition of medical malpractice is when a health-care professional doesn’t follow the recognized standard of care when treating a patient. This is the standard that any reasonable medical professional would use in the course of treatment. If this standard of care is not adhered to, it could be considered negligence.
If the negligent incident caused injury or damage to the patient, then they can make a claim for malpractice. It’s important to mention, however, that in the majority of cases, the claims end with no financial reward at all.
Proceeding with a claim can also be expensive and cause stress to the claimant and their family. For this reason, you need to be sure that you’re willing to go through the process of a claim.
What should you do first?
The first thing you should do is research an experienced malpractice attorney to take the case on for you. This is something you need to take time with. You want someone who knows the laws and procedures in your state and has the knowledge to handle a case such as yours.
The next thing to do is to gather as much evidence as possible about the incident. Your lawyer should be able to obtain medical records on your behalf, but if there are any friends or family that witnessed anything, their details need to be recorded.
Cases of this type can take a long time to go through the insurance companies, so you need to be prepared for this.
How can you avoid malpractice?
Obviously, avoiding any potential malpractice is better than being involved in an incident. You should always ask questions of your health care professional and make sure they know what the best course of treatment would be and that they are qualified to carry out that treatment.
If during treatment you become concerned, tell your doctor or nurse as soon as possible and don’t be afraid to let them know how you feel.
If you want a second opinion, you have the right to have one. It’s better to be sure than to run the risk of a problem occurring.
Health care professionals all work very hard to give their patients the very best of care. However, you know your own body, so if you think something is being missed, it’s vital that you bring this to the attention of the doctor’s. This not only helps you get the right care, but it also prevents any problems from occurring.